Julia Pistor and Evan Hayes will executive produce. Other producers include Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes and Amy Pascal, according to IMDb. Pascal is also set to produce another film in Atlanta soon — "Venom," a "Spider-Man" spinoff being produced by Sony and Marvel.

The upcoming Barbie film is moving to 2020, which is just one of several release date changes made by Sony Pictures. The original date for the film was August 8, 2018, but Barbie, which stars Anne Hathaway, will now hit theaters almost two years later on May 8, 2020. At the moment, there are no other films on that date, but there is an untitled Marvel film opening the week before.

The Barbie screenplay arrives from Hilary Winston (The LEGO Ninjago Movie, the Bad Teacher TV series) with Amy Schumer and her sister Kim Caramele having done a rewrite. Oscar winner Diablo Cody was also working on the screenplay at the studio back in 2015. Winston’s script is said to follow a misfit living in a land of perfect Barbies, who comes to the real world where her being/looking different turns into an asset. The film has been described as being a contemporary spin on beauty, feminism and identity in the comedic fantasy vein of Splash, Enchanted or Big. Barbie is being produced by Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Amy Pascal. [...]

A movie about the popular doll was in development for years at Sony, but now Mattel is partnering with Warner Bros. for a feature film, with Margot Robbie in talks to star.

Robbie would also produce the project through her LuckyChap banner.

It was first announced in 2014 that Mattel was partnering with Sony for a Barbie movie. In 2016 it was reported that Amy Schumer would star in the movie that was billed as putting a contemporary spin on the toy with an emphasis on feminism and identity. A few months later Schumer dropped out of the project due to "scheduling conflicts." It was later reported Anne Hathaway would replace Schumer.

In January, Sony pushed the movie's release date from Aug. 8, 2018, to May 8, 2020, but the rights to Barbie reverted back to Mattel a few months later, and it appears the toymaker has found a new studio partner.

Sources say that Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins is circling the Warners project but indicate there are no substantive talks that have taken place.

If deals make, the Barbie movie would continue a partnership between Robbie and Warner Bros., where her LuckyChap banner has a first-look deal. The studio is gearing up for the Robbie-produced Birds of Prey, which will see her reprise her DCU role as Harley Quinn.

Robbie, who earned an Oscar nomination for last year's I, Tonya, will next be seen in Mary Queen of Scots and is currently working on Sony's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She is repped by CAA, Management 360 and Jackoway Tyerman.

Oscar nominees and regular collaborators Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) and Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) will be writing the script for Warner Bros. upcoming live-action Barbie movie starring Oscar winner Margot Robbie (I, Tonya), The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Gerwig is also in contention to direct the feature.

Following Disney's recent decision to cast a black actress in the lead role of its live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, Mattel will also look to cast actors of color in its forthcoming films such as Barbie.

Since launching its movie-making division Mattel Films late last summer, the toymaker announced that Margot Robbie, a Caucasian actress, will play the titular role of Barbie in its first live-action film. But Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz pledged Monday that Barbie, as well as the company's other planned films, would feature diverse cast members.

"Barbie is the most diverse brand in the toy industry," Kreiz said on stage at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, noting that the company now sells more than 100 different variants of Barbie, including dolls of minority backgrounds and ethnicities. "It’s very important for us, it's part of our DNA, to represent consumers whoever they are, wherever they are, and you’ll see that also in our movies," Kreiz continued.

Robbie Brenner, the executive producer of Mattel Films who spoke on a panel alongside Kreiz at the conference, underscored that point. "Obviously, we want to cast the right actor for the role, but I think right now there’s so much opportunity in the world, especially as we’re seeing with Black Panther," she said, referencing last year's hit Marvel film that featured a predominantly black cast.

Brenner also confirmed that Greta Gerwig, who directed the critically acclaimed film Lady Bird, and her partner Noah Baumbach will write and direct the Barbie film. "She loves Barbie, she's so passionate about this, she grew up with Barbie, and it’s going to be a very very exciting collaboration," Brenner said of Gerwig.

Still, Mattel is looking to break stereotypes associated with its toy franchises like Barbie, and the executives hinted that the big-screen portrayals of its iconic toys could diverge from how they have been represented in the past. "We are looking to reimagine the brands and tell a story....There are different ways to imagine Barbie, or Masters of the Universe, or Bob the Builder," Kreiz said, referring to other Mattel franchises.

"For us, the Barbie movie should definitely have a message of female empowerment, and that you can dream and be anything you want," Brenner said, adding that Mattel was prepared to take risks in bringing their vision to life. "I do think it's important to push the boundaries and push the limits," she said. "And I think people are really ready to see something different."

The co-starring role of Ken in the Barbie film, meanwhile, has yet to be cast. Who Mattel chooses will be a telling measure of its willingness to push beyond stereotypes.